Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Digital radiography is a form of X-ray imaging in which digital X-ray imaging detectors are used to generate digital X-ray images, and has multiple advantages over traditional film-based techniques. By bypassing chemical processing, digital radiography is more time efficient, provides digital images for immediate image preview, facilitates image enhancement, and generally requires less radiation to produce an image of similar contrast.
Digital radiography is now used in many applications, including medical diagnostics, veterinary care, dental imaging, industrial inspection, and security. Each of these applications could benefit from a completely portable implementation of an X-ray acquisition system, i.e., battery-powered device with full image acquisition, enhancement, and data storage capabilities. However, the power requirements of conventional digital X-ray devices preclude such a completely portable device. For example, while X-ray imaging detectors have been developed with a form factor that can be easily carried, the size and power requirements of the associated image acquisition work station generally prevents such a system from being implemented as a single self-contained, battery powered device. Instead, in conjunction with an X-ray imaging detector, a dedicated computer workstation is typically employed for receiving acquired images, performing image processing and enhancement, and providing a user interface for controlling image acquisition.